I was looking in my pantry today and a sense of calm came over me. We are apparently just about to be hit a some major storm. The media has been giving out warning about it all day. So why aren't I worried?

Well, I have lived in this area for about 8 years and in that time have witnessed a few of these episodes. The first one was a 100 year flood event. That was pretty amazing to experience, just watching the rain fall so heavily that you wonder how there could be just so much water in those clouds above. It is hard to describe just how heavy the rain was and it went on and on and on.

At the time, I was concerned naturally, because I had never seen this before in my lifetime. I worried what would happen and if the house could survive, let alone the chooks and us. But survive we did. We were landlocked for a few days, which meant we couldn't get into town for supplies. But thankfully our house has a high enough position that no water came inside.

The second time was a 200 year flood event. Very similar to the first one. We have had a couple of other flood events since and each time we watch the dams and tanks fill and then overflow and then the water spreads down the paddock and into the creek. The creek runs like a raging river and the water lays everywhere in pools. Our driveway, on our new property, goes through a dried creek bed which when the dams overflow runs straight down it, so it can be impossible to cross.

Because I have witnessed these flood events, I don't worry too much about them these days. I look in my pantry and assess what I have. I have a sense of calm when I do this, because I know that we have stocked it well and we will be able to make meals for as long as we need to, without panicking about getting into town to buy food, for us or our pets.

In our pantry we have stocked up on canned foods as well as dry food along with oils, condiments etc. We could probably survive at least 6 months if we had to.

When starting a preppers pantry you need to consider what types of food your family will eat. There is no point stocking up on food that nobody likes. Of course that doesn't mean just buying snack foods that you know people will eat, you need to be smart about it and think healthy options.

We have cans of soups and prepared meals; canned fruits; canned vegetables; cans of milk as well as long life milk and powdered milk; canned fish and meat. We have jars of garlic; jams; pickles; coffee, etc. We have lots of dried meals; dried vegetables; eggs; herbs; fruit; etc. We have a big range of bottled sauces; oils; soft drinks; cordials; vinegars etc. We have flours; sugars; nuts; rices; pastas;etc. We have things like yeast, herbs and spices; and salts. Basically we can cook up a feast and it will not be boring.

We also have a stockpile of other items such as toilet paper; toothpaste; shampoos; medicines; candles etc.

I can't tell you exactly what you should stock up on, because only you know what your family will eat. But when you are creating your preppers pantry remember that you need to aim for at least 6 months worth of food, 12 months is better, but if that freaks you out just thinking about it, aim for the 6 months.

We started our preppers pantry pretty much just after that first flood event, and have been adding to it regularly ever since. It gives me such a sense of richness to know that we can survive any sort of disaster if we have to. We not only have the food and other items stored, but being off the grid, means that we have water and power as well. It really does pay to be self sufficient because you just never know what is around the corner. :)